Working Against Me
by Gillianandersonwannabe
Summary: How did things end between Alex and Jim? Find out while they slow dance. Not a songfic.


_**A/N: **_**For some reason I couldn't get the idea of Alex and Jim slow dancing to the song Gravity, by John Mayer. It's just got such a sweet almost melancholy vibe to it and it reminds me of them. The tone almost feels bittersweet. If you haven't heard it I recommend you look it up, and also it would be good to listen to while you read their conversation, I feel like it gives their conversation a certain sway that I was going for. Anyway, happy reading, as usual reviews make my life infinitely better, even if they are criticisms.**

**Enjoy!**

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"That was delicious Jim", said Alex, leaning back in her chair with a smirk on her face. "Who knew you could cook?"

He matched her grin and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table. "Maybe you don't know me as well as you'd like to think Counselor."

She snorted and broke eye contact. Only Jim could make her feel like she was in the second grade again, talking to her crush. She shook her head slightly. "Maybe."

He took a deep breath. "So uh, you wanted to", she looked up and he paused nervously. "You wanted to talk?"

She inhaled as if to begin the conversation she'd been dreading since he welcomed her into his apartment, but, instead of letting the words tumble out, she let them die on her tongue. She wanted so badly to just get it over with, to rip the bandaid off quickly, but something stopped her

They had decided foolishly in the beginning that this relationship would be sex, just sex and no feelings, but she was afraid it had developed into something more than that for him. Certainly not for her though she silently reminded herself on the drive over. Certainly not for her.

They both wanted desperately to fill the silence between them, for it was becoming an awkward one, a kind that the two were unaccustomed to dealing with. Jim blurted out the first thing he could think of.

"Do you want to dance with me?"

Alex let a smile amble across her lips. She didn't reply. He stood up, walked over to her, and held out his hand. His eyes repeated the inquiry.

She put her hand in his and let herself be lead to a clear space in his living room. "I had no idea you were so old fashioned either Jim."

He reached for a remote with his free hand and flipped through several songs. "Kind of makes me wonder just all that you've been hiding from me", she continued.

Her hand felt warm and vaguely fuzzy in his, but that could've been just the second glass of wine. The very same second glass of wine was whispering in her ear, asking her if maybe she had developed some more than just lustful feelings for Jim. It asked her if maybe there was more between them than just chemistry and desire. She shook her head, attempting to rid her mind of the thought. Meanwhile the fuzzy feeling was traveling up her arm.

When he settled on a song she took but a moment to remember the artist. She tilted her head. "I never would have pegged you as a John Mayer type."

He shrugged and looked amused. "Like I said Al, maybe I've got this whole other side of me that you never get to see." He put his free hand on her hip and pulled her close. She inhaled sharply. He was so close. She could smell what was left of his cologne that he always wore, and she fought a shiver. He started moving with her, but she stopped him for a second to slip out of her high heels. Her toes were happy to hit the carpet and she would never admit it, but, a little part of her relished being ever so slightly shorter than Jim without heels.

They fell into a soft rhythm easily, swaying back and forth, back and forth. John Mayer sang her a lullaby and Jim enveloped her in blissful warmth. Their bodies meandered closer and closer to each other until her head was buried under his chin. She sighed and buried her nose into his chest. In response he kissed the top of her head and rested his head there.

"Hey Al", he murmured. That snapped her back into reality, but she felt too happy in Jim's arms to move.

She gathered all of her courage and thought about band aids. "Jim", she whispered. She could barely be heard. "I came. To tell you that. That I can't see you anymore." She flinched, but Jim didn't miss a beat.

"I figured", was all he said.

Alex hesitated. "Do you want me to leave?"

She could feel the somber expression on his face when he spoke again. "Finish this song with me."

So she did. When it ended, it ended too soon, but started back up again.

The finally broke apart, though they ended up with only an arms length between them. Alex started to turn away when he cupped her face and kissed her. He didn't kiss her like he usually did though, usually when they kissed it was done sloppily and with fervor. Usually their kisses promised a night of passion and hot sex.

This kiss was different though. It was gentle and quiet and slow, but somehow still filled with the same passion. She leaned into him for the second time that night and wrapped her arms around his neck. The feeling of his mouth against hers made her knees weak. She swore she could feel the beat of his heart in his chest, but that might've been her own.

She was struck by the intimacy of this kiss, and that surprised her, considering just how _intimate _her and Jim had gotten. The air in their mouths meeting, mingling. She pictured in her mind her lungs filling with Jim's breath and opened her mouth wider to let his tongue in, but he broke away.

Without thinking she let out a whimper at the loss of contact. He chuckled at her, knowing instinctively that would embarrass her.

Alex pulled away, this time for good. Her body immediately felt colder. "I should go", she breathed, with wide eyes. Before he could say anything she bent down to retrieve her shoes and made her way to the table to get her purse.

"Let me just grab your coat", Jim said at a normal volume, which startled them both out of the tranquil reverie they had been lost in.

"It's fine", she insisted briskly. A moment ago she would've given anything to just stay here with Jim another minute, but now she couldn't leave quickly enough.

"Come on Al", he said a little louder, moving to his closet, but Alex had beaten him there. She snatched her coat off of the hanger and flew out his door without even bothering to put it or her shoes on. He ran into his doorway and tried to call after her, but he was at a loss for words. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened.

"Alex!" He watched her hurry down the hall to the elevator. She didn't give any sign that she had heard him. He could just make out the expression on her face when she stepped into the elevator and turned to face him. He could've sworn that he saw tears.

But he must've been mistaken.

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_"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love" -Albert Einstein_


End file.
